Cathy McClure

Biography

Cathy McClure received her BFA from Texas Technological University, then her MFA from the University of Washington in 1997. In 1997 she was also selected out of a pool of 426 applicants as the recipient of the 19 th Annual Betty Bowen Memorial Award. Prominently a metalsmith, McClure wields such mediums as sterling silver, bronze, and steel. She is also drawn towards other disciplines, often with multimedia components such as music, and video; in some videos she cuts and destroys stuffed animals with scissors. A reoccurring presence in her work has been the intricate mechanical beings that resemble children’s toys, both humorous and whimsical. These figures are often constructed out of not only metal, but also plastic—a nod to the disparate longevity and substance of the two. McClure also toys with the idea of the future, what technologies may exist and how they may interact with human beings, and the more immediate realm which we, as humans, inhabit.

"As a multi-media artist with a strong background in metal design, I am seduced by the limitless potential of sterling silver, bronze, and steel. My enthusiasm for the techniques and traditions of metalwork is rivaled only by a wild preoccupation with mechanical toys and the discrepancy between the public's perception of an imagined techno-future and that future that we now inhabit." -Cathy McClure